I busted up my right arm in HS, day before summer 2-a-days, and spent the season in a sling, had lots of time to learn to throw a football lefthanded with the other 2 guys who were sidelined yet went to practice every day, and I got pretty damn good within 15 yards. I can still throw darts pretty well LH. No ****ing way in hell could I get a baseball to go where I wanted it, and believe me I tried.
From a pure hitting standpoint: 1. Altuve 2B 2. Brantley LF 3. Bregman 3B 4. Alvarez DH 5. Gurriel 1B 6. Tucker RF 7. Pena SS 8. Meyers CF 9. Castro C
You think Altuve is the best hitter on the team? (I'm not using his slow start as justification for that question)
The mythical lineup where the first 7 players in the batting lineup on opening day all start in the same game...in any order.
Current roster: Altuve Bregman Tucker Gurriel Alvarez Siri Brantley Maldonado Pena. 2023 Altuve Tucker Bregman Alvarez Joe Perez/Taylor Jones Leon Meyers K. Lee Pena The lineup looks to be a bit RH heavy once Brantley leaves. And I don't think they should resign him unless it's for a 4th OF spiot AND at least 2 of Meyers, McCormick, Siri, and Leon are traded and not replaced with OF. Just to be clear I am for any such trade but then Brantley would not be a good fit for the price. I would like to see an impact LH bat added in place of one of those young RH hitters but I think 2022 is the last year that Brantley is the answer.
I've reached the point I have forgotten the things you never forget. Like how to throw a baseball. Last time I "threw," I had NO FEEL of how to release the ball. Most of the time it wound up on the ground about 10 yards away. It's like I couldn't let go. But here is how I would suggest using the players Dusty is using today. 1. R McCormick 348 OBP 2. L Castro 375 OBP 3. R Siri 257 OPS+ 4. R Bregman 143 OPS+ 5. L Tucker 323 SLG 6. R Gurriel 350 SLG 7. L Brantley 313 OBP 8. R Altuve 219 OBP 9. R Diaz 190 OBP
Hopefully Matijevic can be the answer at 1B. He's left handed, off to a good start in AAA but he's been somewhat of a late bloomer. I gave serious consideration to butting Brantley at leadoff in this lineup, but I kept Altuve there because I still think he'll turn it around, and his hand-eye coordination is elite. Also, Altuve at leadoff meant, with Castro 9th in this lineup, you avoid back to back lefties.
Just thinking of how I might use the same players in today's lineup against a right hander, 1. L BRANTLEY, Michael LF 357 429 134 2. R ALTUVE, Jose 2B 347 517 154 3. L ALVAREZ, Yordan DH 360 595 180 4. R PEÑA, Jeremy SS 341 536 158 5. L TUCKER, Kyle RF 351 472 144 6. R GURRIEL, Yuli 1B 287 430 111 7. R McCORMICK, Chas CF 294 440 116 8. R DIAZ, Aledmys 3B 277 312 76 9.R MALDONADO, Martin C 211 238 34
5/23 Theoretical best line-up using players in the line-up today: 3. Alvarez 180 OPS+ 4. Pena 158 OPS+ 1. Brantley 372 OBP 2. Altuve 356 OBP 5. Tucker 441 SLG 6. Bregman 407 SLG 7. Siri 294 OBP 8. Gurriel 266 OBP 9. Maldonado 198 OBP so 1. Brantley 372 OBP L 2. Altuve 356 OBP R 3. Alvarez 180 OPS+ L 4. Pena 158 OPS+ R 5. Tucker 441 SLG L 6. Bregman 407 SLG R 7. Siri 294 OBP R 8. Gurriel 266 OBP R 9. Maldonado 198 OBP R
Easy, no question... Vic Colfari hits leadoff, he's The Rookie, though Allesandro Allegre is The Chief, and a solid OBP guy Sir Stewart Wallace is Himself, right in the 3 hole Nathan Wind, Cochese, is gonna clean all this up as needed. Bunny, just in case, is an RBI man too
5/31 I begin with assuming both Altuve and Tucker are unavailable and Maldy needs a day off. L BRANTLEY, Michael LF 357 395 121 R BREGMAN, Alex 3B 347 406 120 L ALVAREZ, Yordan DH 358 571 167 R PEÑA, Jeremy SS 331 497 139 R McCORMICK, Chas RF 276 385 92 R SIRI, Jose CF 291 372 93 R DIAZ, Aledmys 2B 260 287 61 R GURRIEL, Yuli 1B 257 360 79 L CASTRO, Jason C 245 159 22 Maybe swapping Castro for Seri just to keep the L/R separated.
I'll play. I am assuming you are predicting today's lineup. I agree that Tucker and Altuve are held out " for precaution" Maldy had a day off 5/28 and tomorrow is a day game after a night game so I think he plays today and sits tomorrow. With both Altuve and Tucker out, Dusty will want more run production so Diaz plays instead of Dubon. 1) McCormick RF 2) Brantley LF 3) Bregman 3B 4) Alvarez DH 5) Gurriel 1B 6) Diaz 2B 7) Pena SS 8) Siri CF 9) maldy C.
Of course. We seldom get an optimal line-up from Dusty, even using the players he determines are best for the day. But it's not a guess of which line-up he will use, but the players he will use and how they should be exploited based on year to date performance. A guess on how he will use them is a bit different since he would like to bench Alvarez after his two shots heard round the world. But Tucker and Altuve being unavailable limits his ability to rest Alvarez after a great day. It is true I haven't searched for a likely LHP where he's most likely to use the LH hitting Castro. But you can bet he'll have a lightweight hitting #1 in the BO just to make his other batters "comfortable" in their spot in the order. But just to answer the inevitable question, Yes, we've done well. But not because of his line-up acumen, but in spite of it.
1. Altuve 2. Brantley DH/LF 3. Pena SS 4. Alvarez LF/DH 5. Bregman 3B 6. Tucker RF 7. Gurriel 1B 8. McCormick CF 9. Castro C Maybe even swap 5 and 6 depending on who the opponent is (if they have few/no lefties in the pen, then bat Alvarez and Tucker back to back). That is how I would go.
